


Stories of the Second Self: Bag of Tricks

by John_Steiner



Series: Alter Idem [89]
Category: Urban Fantasy - Fandom, school shooting - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:00:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22594447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner
Summary: During the event that revealed to the world the age of Alter Idem, Miranda Imura is again caught up in a mass shooting event. Her history teacher guides the class in making use of the new emergency drill, but Miranda realizes this attack also includes bombs left in front of the classroom door. Reflecting on her online research of magic spells from a closed chat room, Miranda knew she had to act.
Series: Alter Idem [89]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618813





	Stories of the Second Self: Bag of Tricks

Miranda wasn't alone in not recognizing that the first blast was a bomb. However, she jolted in her chair, still jittery after the mass shooting two weeks ago in the park. Then came the school alarm, and after that gunfire that Miranda now recognized.

"Okay class," Mr. Donald, her history teacher said while going to the door. "I want you to calmly get out of your desks and stay low while going to that back corner furthest from the windows."

Though Mr. Donald walked on hooves, just like Miranda, he was able to crouch down and advance to the door in order to set the lower bolt. After, he stood to the side of the door and set the upper bolt, and then he moved over where all the students huddled. He took a position closer to the windows, putting himself between it and several students while being able to watch the door and drawing the blinds closed.

"Shhh," Mr. Donald hushed under his breath and waved at the kids.

The sound of heavy feet clomped by, followed by a couple shots in the direction that the unknown people ran. Miranda heard a distant scream of some boy and found herself covering her elven ears.

Subtle gestures from Mr. Donald's hands caught Miranda's attention, and she realized he was casting some sort of spell. Like herself, Mr. Donald was a Fae with six-point antlers to Miranda's ten-point rack that, as of yet, no one knew about. Like Mr. Donald, Miranda's cloven hooves, pointed ears, antlers, and wide nose bridge were all concealed under an illusion spell.

While her traits emerged, Mr. Donald spent time after school teaching her magic, though now she proved even better than he was. According to a website Miranda frequented, she belonged to a caste of Fae that were considered elders to the other two. Unsure exactly what Mr. Donald was conjuring, she considered her own growing repertoire.

Then, a sudden hard bang against the door made everyone jump and a few cry out. Miranda heard that whoever was at the door dropped something heavy and just moved on. In the distance, sirens rang out, indicating that police were on their way.

Shadows passed over the gaps in the window blinds where daylight came through, but Miranda heard voices of kids as they ran by. Moments after that, she heard a door open and a girl pleading with whoever found her. Though, the shouting carried enough to be heard, Miranda couldn't make out what the girl or the man yelling at her said.

Then, there was running again and someone shouting about how they'd get someone. Yet, Miranda's mind was on whatever they had dropped at the door.

"Mr. Donald, what do we do now?" Miranda asked.

Shaking his head, Mr. Donald couldn't hide uncertainty from his face. "I don't know, but I'm worried about what they left."

Miranda's eyes squeezed shut, both from bodily paralyzing anxiety and from concentration. The sirens got closer, and seemed to spread out on the school grounds. However, Miranda realized something about the severe tremors she felt up her spine and through her knees. Miranda practiced her magic intuition a lot since the park shooting and being chased by a vampire. She realized from auras invading the room that everyone was in danger.

Then it hit Miranda, and she leaned close to Mr. Donald in order to whisper, "I think it's a bomb."

Mr. Donald's eyes went wide for a moment, before he could hide it, while a commotion came from one of the science classrooms. Gasps erupted from other kids on hearing the growls, gunfire, and terrified screams of grown men. Through the growls, Miranda suspected she had heard Mark, and hoped he was okay.

A hard knock invoked shouts from several kids, cut short by the fear of being found again. Then, came a voice through the door. "Police! Is everyone okay in there?"

Miranda fretted that it wasn't actually cops, though Mr. Donald made a different assessment when answering, "Yes. I think they left something by the door that could be dangerous."

"We see it," the voice said, "Just stay calm and we'll get someone in here to deal with it."

"Okay," Mr. Donald replied with a hint of doubt.

Hearing footsteps fade rapidly, Miranda guessed that there were two of them, and that they headed for the science class. A few minutes after, more people approached the door and knocked the same way that the last person did. "We need you to unbolt the door."

Mr. Donald stood up and went to the door, but hesitated before unlocking the two bolts. The door swung open with a suddenness that made Miranda's heart skip a beat. Then, a heavily clad police officer with a black helmet and mask entered.

"Sir, I need you to step back and keep your hands up," the cop ordered.

Mr. Donald nodded, and had to raise his hands past his head and then forward again to rest them on his scalp under his antlers. Then, the cop waved to others who, as Miranda got up and walked around, turned out to be more police with bomb squad written on their body armor.

"Yeah, shit," one of them cursed while looking over the backpack. "Goddamn hate these. Can't open it, can't leave it closed and hope."

The first cop turned to Mr. Donald. "Get those windows open and get everyone out."

Mr. Donald echoed the instruction. "Alright, everyone over here. Tommy, you and I are going to help them through, okay?"

"Yeah," Tommy answered, and sniffed with resolution Miranda wasn't sure he felt.

A couple more people wheeled in this heavy duty looking barrel-thing. The bomb squad guys puzzled at the pack for another couple minutes, and one reached out multiple times only to draw back his hands. He was considering various ways to pick it up, while in Miranda's vision the aura of impending dread now filled the room. Next, she studied her hands and something came to her.

"You know what, never mind," Miranda said while striding passed one cop to hold a hand over the backpack and the bomb inside. "I'll handle it."

The two bomb squad cops closest to the device jumped, when Miranda grabbed the top of the backpack. Others shouted protestations and went to grab her. Yet, with a heft, Miranda picked up the pack without anything exploding. She struggled to lift the heavy bomb, but walking carefully over to the drum, the cops who had brought it hastily took the top off and helped her set the device inside.

"Ahh," the first bomb squad cop said, bewildered, "Okay. Guys, you wanna wheel that out to the EOD truck?"

"Yeah, we're on it Lieutenant," one of them said, and carefully got the drum on rollers going.

"Not that I'm ungrateful, little lady," the bomb squad lieutenant began, "But it might be better if you just let us do that for now on."

"It tried to blow up, but something didn't work," Miranda revealed.

"Uh-huh," the lieutenant's voice carried doubt, as he smiled tightly. "Well, again, thanks. Now, I'll need you all to evacuate the school and, out on the grounds, keep your hands up and go where directed."

"Miranda, let's go," Mr. Donald ushered to her.

By now, most of the class was out, and then Mr. Donald helped Tommy through before exiting himself. Escorted to where most of the school clustered, Miranda turned to see what else was happening. Over the next half hour police scoured and secured the school. Miranda was as stunned as everyone else when Mark, in full wolf form, though still clothed, was escorted out under guard of several rifles.

"Ohh shoot, Mark," Miranda sighed with a shrug. "'Guess it's all gonna come out now."

Miranda was certain of that, because she knew someone would figure out that the bomb had tried to detonate when she touched the backpack. Only, her spell prevented electrical current from conducting along wires. Unsure which wired she needed to stop, Miranda affected the metallic properties of all of them. Police would discover that every single one of them had corroded throughout and would be at a loss as to how.


End file.
